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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27505027">This Is What They Say</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoTangie/pseuds/NoTangie'>NoTangie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Dreamsharing, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship, kind of but not really</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 03:20:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,115</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27505027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoTangie/pseuds/NoTangie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey's feelings for her professor's new assistant begin to manifest themselves in vivid dreams.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>This Is What They Say</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Unfortunately I will not be able to hold my office hours today due to some family business.”</p><p>Rey groaned under her breath, frowning slightly. She hadn’t particularly wanted to take this class, history was never her strong suit to begin with. <em> This wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t on that stupid farm.  </em></p><p>She had waited weeks and weeks for her registration date to arrive in the mail, only to find out through a phone call that she had missed it. All that was left by the time she went to register for her first semester were remedial classes and the more obscure classes that she was barely qualified to take. This was the only reason Rey was even in Myth and Realities of Ancient Civilizations.</p><p>She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Professor Organa rambled on about some needlessly long story about her ex husband, but truth be told Rey was only half listening. She was too distracted by her internal fretting over needing help parsing some of the research she had done for an upcoming project. She knew she could just find new sources, maybe it was better than having someone else spell things out for her. </p><p>The memories and frustration of the hours in the library, going from book to book to book, protested however.</p><p>“Ah, but I understand some of you may need some help with your upcoming essays,” Professor Organa’s words snapped Rey’s attention back to the front of the room, “so after making some calls, I have been given the go ahead to allow my son to fill the place as my assistant for the rest of the semester, starting today.” </p><p>Rey arched an eyebrow, unaware the professor even had a son. She had always come off as so self serious and career focused, Rey had always assumed she was the type to go childless. </p><p>“This may not be his specific area of expertise but Ben has recently started his Master’s program and I’m certain he will be able to lend some help today if anyone is in desperate need of assistance.”</p><p><em> Desperate only begins to describe it </em>. </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>“Hold up, wait,” Poe Dameron said leaning forward in his chair, eyes wide at what Rey had just told him. “Her son? <em> Ben </em> Solo?”</p><p>Rey frowned with a shrug. “I… guess? She said his name was Ben so I assume so.” Poe sank back into his seat, slouching now and looking around at an imaginary audience who presumably shared his dismay. “You know him I presume?”</p><p>“Know him?” Poe exclaimed, shooting up in his seat. Finn placed his hand on Poe’s back at this outburst. </p><p>“Dude, calm down.”</p><p>Poe collected himself as he readjusted in his seat to a more natural position. “Sorry, sorry. Just-“</p><p>“I know, I know.” Finn’s face reflected a concern and reassurance that his tone lacked. His voice reflected more exhaustion than anything, as if the subject of Ben Solo and Poe’s grievances with him were a worn out subject between the couple. </p><p>“He’s a real piece of work,” Poe said in a more even tone, but his frustration was still apparent. </p><p>There was an uneasy silence as Rey calculated how to ask the question floating in her mind, unsure if it would be deemed inappropriate. “Did you two…”</p><p>There was a flash in Poe’s eyes but his voice was still even. “Are you kidding?” Rey stared back nervously, frigid, as a grin stretched on Finn’s face with a small laugh.</p><p>“You do sound like a jaded lover,” Finn interjected and Rey relaxed slightly as Poe’s anger now seemed to redirect toward his boyfriend. </p><p>“Me? And him? You think that’s funny?”</p><p>Finn’s smile grew as he nodded.</p><p>“It’s not funny. We didn’t date.” Poe turned his attention back to Rey as his mood lightened, although still visibly annoyed. “I would never date someone like him. That dude, oh that dude is something else. Trust,” he paused as his eyes locked with Rey’s, raising a finger to accentuate his point, “is important. And it’s clearly something he does not value.”</p><p>Rey smiled at this. While her and Poe weren’t very close, she had admired his tenacity from the first day Finn had introduced them. Rey had met Finn in her math class, a class she had been fast tracked to due to her high test scores and was luckily still open by the time she went to register classes for the semester. She was the only freshman in the class and her upper class men seemed to mostly ignore her presence for the first few lessons; that is except for Finn. Finn had been quick to offer a friendly hello to her every class session and before long they were sitting and talking with each other in the minutes before class started. </p><p>Finn was open about his sexuality, casually mentioning his boyfriend off hand in one of their early conversations. Rey had met only two other gay men in her life, the lone two gay guys at her high school who seemed to be in petty drama with each other until burying the hatchet and then becoming the only gay <em> couple </em>in her small town’s high school. </p><p>It wasn’t too long after Finn and Rey started hanging out outside of class that he had introduced her to Poe, and the three often found themselves meeting for coffee after their classes for the past month.</p><p>“So what did he <em> do </em>?” </p><p>Poe sighed, defeated. “I got screwed over in two classes I had with the guy.”</p><p>“Screwed?”</p><p>Poe stared at Rey with a deadpan look. “Shut up. It’s not a story worth telling honestly, just know he’s a bad guy.”</p><p>Unconvinced, she replied with a sigh of her own. “Well my hands are tied, he’s filling in for her office hours today and I need the help.” Poe wore a skeptical look as he turned to Finn who offered only a shrug.</p><p>“She’s smart, I’m sure she can handle herself. And he’s technically a school employee right? What can he do?” Finn asked earnestly, his hand finding its way back to Poe’s back, this time as a sign of reassurance..</p><p>“Just don’t trust him okay, get the help you need and get out of there,” Poe said quickly as he stood and grabbed his bag before turning back to Finn. “Dinner?”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“Meet me at the car. Don’t trust him Rey,” Poe repeated, giving Rey a serious look and short wave, before leaving Finn to gather his work that was spread out on the table. </p><p>“He means well.”</p><p>“I’m sure.”</p><p>“I know he was cagey with the details,” Finn had paused what he was doing, “but from what he’s told me, he really is that bad.” Rey gave him a worrying look.” Finn had gathered all his work and slung his bag over his shoulder before adding, “I’m sure you’ll be fine though, like I said. Good luck, let me know if you want to get coffee before class tomorrow.”</p><p>All Rey could do was give a short nod as her friend briskly walked toward the parking lot. Poe was one for dramatics but she had been hoping it was just Poe being Poe; but Finn’s warning worried her. Just what had this Ben Solo done to her friend to provoke such a disdain in him?</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>As Ben approached his mother’s office, he noticed a younger looking student standing waiting. Although his face showed no reaction, he felt himself deflate. He had hoped few of his mother’s students would show up today to allow himself some quiet time to get ahead on his own assignments, and this girl had already doused those hopes before he could even get in the door.</p><p>Rey on the other hand, had been looking at her phone when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up to see who she quickly assumed to be the infamous Ben Solo. His long black haired bounced in step with each stride of his lanky legs . His pale skin almost gave him a monochrome appearance when paired with his black turtleneck and long fall coat. The way he moved through the hall definitely cemented to Rey that this was in fact Professor Organa’s son; he carried himself with the same self seriousness as the professor. A confidence that could be mistaken for coldness and still intimidated Rey, almost eight weeks into the semester.</p><p>She gave him a faint smile as she readjusted her bag on her shoulder and positioned herself to follow the replacement tutor inside. Ben met her gaze but did not return the smile.</p><p>“You're one of Professor Organa’s students?” His voice was deep and low, sending a shiver down Rey’s spine. </p><p>Rey took a second to answer. She hadn’t realized just how broad shouldered he was from afar, but now it was one of his defining features. “Yeah,” she said weakly as he unlocked the door and walked inside the office without giving her a second look.</p><p>The office more closely resembled a small classroom than a typical office. The front of the room sat a wide desk with a rolling chair tucked in that faced the rest of the room which mostly consisted of tables meant to seat two students each. While a regular classroom might contain more than a dozen of these tables, this one consisted of 6 and only the two front desks had the standard two chairs a piece. Tall file cabinets circled the room on three of it’s four walls, all unmarked, although Ben was familiar with his mother's filing system and was the only besides her who could make sense of it. </p><p>As he turned on the lights and set his own things down on the front desk, he turned to see the girl still standing in the doorway. “Are you here to get help with something?” he asked coldly. His words weren’t malicious, but they dripped of something underneath that Rey recognized; condescension. He didn’t think she was worth his time. She had been spoken to like this countless times in her upbringing and she had grown tired of it long ago. She furrowed her brow.</p><p>“Yes, actually.” She said coldly. “I need some help with my research.” Rey was not shaken by his demeanor, and moved to the student desk nearest, dropping her bag with a thud. She took no time in unzipping her bag and pulling out 3 books.</p><p>“Research?” he said with a raised eyebrow, hoping this was something he could resolve quickly.</p><p>“I’m having trouble understanding what some of this means.” Rey was already flipping through the first book on the stack, pulling on one of the many tabs that peaked out of the top. Ben maintained his cold stare as he turned his head down to the book. “Like this for instance.” She read the better half of a paragraph about a Mayan myth that, to her, seemed contradictory to itself. Ben sighed as he walked around the desk to the rolling chair. </p><p>“What?” Rey pressed, agitated that he seemed so dismissive of her confusion.</p><p>Ben stared blankly back at her, finally meeting her eyes. He hadn’t taken her appearance in before but now slowly looked her over, more interested in trying to unravel this girl than getting her out the door now. Behind her hazel eyes was something he rarely noticed in others her age. She wasn’t angry, she was determined. Determined to be seen and taken seriously. She may have been struggling with elementary concepts but he could tell she wasn’t stupid. </p><p>“It’s not that difficult to understand,” he said, unshaken as he gestured to Rey to hand him the book. He began to explain in detail as he flipped through a few more pages, pointing to different passages. The confusion on Rey’s face began to melt into understanding as he talked and her eyes scanned the parts of the page he pointed to. “Clear? Anything else?”</p><p>Rey bit her lip. He had spoken so clearly, with such authority that her guard had been not only dropped but she suddenly found herself pulled to him. “Uhm, yeah,” she said quietly, collecting herself and grabbing the next book on the stack.</p><p>The afternoon went on like this, Rey pulling paragraphs that escaped her understanding, and Ben explaining it to her as if it was a concept he had learned when he was just a child. As she made her way back to the dorm afterward, she couldn’t help thinking about how angry the mention of his name had made Poe, and how easily she could see their two personalities clashing; and despite how she found herself looking at him with his nose buried in one of the books she had dragged along, she knew that deep down it was more than just Poe’s personality. There truly was something about Ben Solo that both excited and scared her. Maybe ‘scared wasn’t the right word. <em> He pisses me off </em>, she thought to herself as she pulled her phone out and shot Finn a quick text.</p><p><em> How did the study session go? </em> Finn replied quickly and Rey wondered if he was sitting waiting for her to text him.</p><p>
  <em> Fine. I can see why Poe doesn’t like him. </em>
</p><p>She had reached the front of her dorm when Finn’s reply came and it caught her off guard.</p><p>
  <em> Is he as ugly as Poe says? </em>
</p><p>Rey frowned, she hadn’t taken Poe to be someone who attacked someone else’s appearance. Moreso, she would hardly call Ben ugly and in fact, thinking about it now, his sharp features could easily be described as handsome. She contemplated an appropriate answer as she ascended the staircase to her single dorm. </p><p>While very few freshmen were lucky to get a single dorm even upon request, Rey had managed to land herself in one in a twisted act of fate. Rey had grown up feeling isolated from everyone around her, and had hoped college would be a place for her to meet people, make friends; a place where she could feel less lonely. However, outside of Finn and Poe, she had yet to make any friends and found herself in a room with no roommate. Oftentimes she found herself feeling a twinge of jealousy when overhearing classmates complain about nightmare roommates, longing for even that level of interaction and closeness to someone.</p><p>Dropping her bag by the door and flopping on the single bed, she decided to ignore the question outright. <em> Poe really hates him, huh? </em>Her body vibrated with energy despite how worn out she felt mentally, feeling restless and exhausted at the same time. Her phone buzzed.</p><p>
  <em> He’s not a good guy Rey. I hope he didn’t cause you any problems. </em>
</p><p>Rey sighed slightly, feeling the strange energy slowly drain from her body. What was it? Excitement? Whatever it was, it was fleeting faster than it came. <em> He’s a bit up his own ass I guess but he really didn’t give me any trouble. </em></p><p>
  <em> That’s good. Coffee tomorrow? 7? </em>
</p><p>She was barely able to fire off a <em> Sounds good </em> before she felt herself drifting off.</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Rey’s dream that night was vivid, and unlike most of her dreams, she had no trouble remembering it after she woke up. She found herself in her university’s library, it was late and mostly empty. As she walked slowly past the rows of books, she noticed on the other side of a long row sat a familiar figure, lost in a book. She froze as he looked up, seeming to feel her presence. </p><p>“What are you doing here?” Ben asked, his voice slightly too loud for a library. Rey found herself at a loss for words as they stared back at each other for a long moment. He rose and made his way toward her as Rey did the same, albeit at a much slower pace. When they stood feet apart, both stopped in their tracks, as if there was an unseen force keeping them from getting any closer. “Are you… real?” It was the first time that Rey could hear Ben’s confidence waver.</p><p>“Are you?” she answered quietly. Another long moment passed before Ben slowly raised his hand out in front of him, his hand hovering in a spot in the air inches from Rey. She slowly brought her hand up vertically to his and instinctively wrapped her fingers around his as he did the same. Rey could feel her heart skip a beat and a warm feeling spread through her body at his touch, an unusual feeling for her to experience in a dream. When she would find herself recounting the dream in bed later, she would note that she had never felt like that before in her waking life either.</p><p>He softly pulled on their joined hands, their eyes locked with one another. She slowly closed the gap between them and before she knew it, she found herself pressed up against his strong chest, gazing up at him. Rey reached up and drew a line along his cheek, noticing his dark brown eyes. Beneath his cold and serious demeanor, she could now see the child inside, a softness. She felt his free arm wrap around her lower back slowly and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and a shiver spread across her body. As she did, he lowered his head and kissed her, a quick soft kiss before pulling away slightly.</p><p>Their faces were just inches apart now, her hand still pressed up against his cheek. Ben leaned forward for another kiss, this time long and passionate. Rey’s hand slipped from his cheek into his long hair as she returned his kiss, pressing her body closer to his. She was losing herself to his kiss, his touch, when he pulled away suddenly. They held each other's gaze again but now Rey saw Ben’s eyes reflected something new; panic. She felt his fingers slip out of hers as he moved away from her slowly, and then quickly, turning around and storming out of sight. Rey felt her heart sink and suddenly-</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>She was awake in her bed, slightly sweating. She laid there for a long time, amazed at how vivid her dream was and how well she was able to memorize it now. She laid there for a long time before her phone buzzed softly against the light blue comforter atop her bed. Yawning as she looked at the missed messages and time, before she felt her internal alarm go off and she jumped out of bed.</p><p><em> No coffee today? :( </em>was the message she had just received and caught her attention. It was only 7:34AM and her class wasn’t until 8, but she would miss getting coffee with Finn, a prospect that scared her. What if he thought less of her? What if she let him down? What if this made him not want to be friends with her anymore? In the midst of her panicked attempt of putting on clothes she thought to send an apologetic text to Finn.</p><p><em> SORRU </em> . She was typing with one hand while the other hand was preoccupied pulling her fresh pair of shorts on and had hit send prematurely.  <em> SORRY* I OVERSLEPT. </em></p><p>Rey threw her phone back on the bed as she gathered the things she would need for class and tossed them into her bag before grabbing her half charged phone and running out the door. Her entire light jog to the campus coffee shop was filled with thoughts of abandonment and self loathing. As she approached, her panting managed to pull Finn’s attention away from his phone before looking up at her with that trademark smirk of his.</p><p>“You made it!” his arms outstretched, indicating the now very busy cafe. “Unfortunately,” he turned to look at the line that was too many students long for Rey to bother counting, “I don’t think you have time for some caffeine before class.” His jovialness eased Rey a bit as she stood next to him, catching her breath.</p><p>“I’m so sorry-”</p><p>“Hey, relax.” Finn stood up and with his free hand picked up his bag. He motioned to his coffee. “I’m glad you didn’t completely ghost me, and I got my coffee. What more could I want?” His voice was soft and reassuring and Rey felt the tension and worry evaporate. Finn motioned with his head in the direction of their class and with a nod from Rey, they made their way out of the crowded cafe.</p><p>It wasn’t until they were close to their class that Finn dropped their current small talk and asked the question that Rey had been hoping to avoid. </p><p>“So what happened with <em> the </em>Ben Solo?” Rey flinched at the name. What came to mind first was not yesterday’s study session, but the strange encounter in her dream.</p><p>“He just… helped me.” She was quiet and could tell Finn knew she was hiding something from him. </p><p>“Hey,” Finn stopped suddenly. Rey stopped a half step ahead of Finn and turned to meet his gaze. His look was filled with worry, a look she hadn’t seen from him before. “Seriously, you can tell me if something happened.” </p><p>Rey was not ready for this, she had no idea where this level of concern was coming from. “Really,” she assured him, “it was a pretty standard meeting, he helped me with some research.” Finn began to relax as she continued. “He was a bit standoffish I guess, but he was… fine otherwise.”</p><p>“If you say so.” She could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced, but she felt in that moment that he trusted her enough to not push her on it. </p><p>Even though math was one of her better subjects, Rey struggled through class that day. Nothing could tear her mind away from flashes of the previous night's dream. She would catch herself indulging in the memories of it in the same way one catches themself falling asleep. Thinking about it would usher in a phantom of that warm feeling she had experienced for the first time in her dreams, this time real yet only a murmur. Her knees would buckle slightly in her seat as the memory reached its climax again and again. And then she would snap out of it, remember where she was and how that dream ended. What did it mean? Had Ben Solo really planted himself this far in her subconscious?</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>“Ben!” Leia snapped.</p><p>“Hm. What?”</p><p>“How did the office hours go? Did anyone show up?” Leia asked, tapping her pen on the stack of papers she was grading. She didn’t like being so stern with her son but he had a habit of ignoring her.</p><p>“Just one,” Ben said, clearly still distracted. “The freshman, Rey....” he drifted off slowly, almost like he was in a daze.</p><p>He sat in the first row of desks in Leia’s office, a few books and a notebook laid out neatly on the spacious desk. Leia could tell however, that his mind was somewhere else. She hoped that it wasn’t too cold of her to not press him about it, she knew he tended to close himself off to her to begin with.</p><p>“And I assume you helped her?”</p><p>“Yes,” he said shortly, finally turning his head away from the window. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”</p><p>Ben’s mind meanwhile raced with thoughts of Rey, and her sudden appearance in his dream the night prior. He had never had a dream so vivid, a dream where he could feel things physically. And why her? She was nobody. And yet, every time his mind recalled the moments in his dream where he touched her, it would take up all the space in his mind like a fog. With a heavy sigh he began to pack his bags. “I’m sorry, I have something I need to do.”</p><p>Leia at that point had gone back to grading papers but now looked at her son with a curious look. “Do what you need to do.” She wasn’t sure how to talk to her son since her husband left, he was always the one who talked to him. Nowadays he was distant, not just toward her but the world. She felt a pang of worry and regret as she watched her son walk out of her office. </p><p>As Ben made his way across campus he spotted her in the distance, the girl from his dreams, the girl he had tutored for hours the day before. As he noticed the morning sun light up her face and shine through her brown hair, he felt something he had thought he was incapable of feeling. His heart, just for a moment, fluttered.</p>
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